Published: 6 October 2026
Giving private lessons in the UAE, at a student’s home or online, needs a permit. Since December 2023 the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and the Ministry of Education have issued a Private Teacher Work Permit, also listed on the MOHRE site as “Private Tutor Licensing”. It is free, it lasts two years and one permit covers both in-person and online lessons. This guide explains who can apply, which documents you need, how the MOHRE application works, what the permit does not allow, where KHDA rules apply and what can happen if you tutor without a permit.
Quick Answer
To tutor privately in the UAE, apply for the MOHRE Private Tutor permit through the MOHRE website or app. You need a valid Emirates ID, a certificate of good conduct, a medical fitness certificate, a photo and, depending on your category, extra papers such as a no-objection letter. MOHRE lists the service as free and as taking 2 working days. The permit is valid for two years. Teachers may not tutor students from their own school. A permit is for an individual. If you want to open a tutoring centre or institute, you need a business licence and the approvals for the education sector, which in Dubai include KHDA.
Requirements can change, so check the current service page on MOHRE before you apply. Where official pages did not state a detail, this article says so.
What the Private Tutor Permit Is
MOHRE and the Ministry of Education announced the permit on 18 December 2023 to regulate private lessons given outside educational institutions. Before that, private tutoring outside a school or licensed centre was widely treated as unlicensed work. The permit gives individuals a legal route.
Key points confirmed on the MOHRE service listing and the UAE Government information on it:
- It is granted free of charge.
- It is valid for two years and can be renewed.
- MOHRE lists the service time as 2 working days.
- The holder signs a code of conduct approved by the Ministry.
- Anyone who tutors without a MOHRE permit faces fines and penalties under the applicable laws.
One permit covers online and in-person lessons. You do not need a separate permit for online tutoring.
Who Can Apply
MOHRE lists these groups as eligible to apply through its app, website or digital channels:
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Teachers registered in government or private schools | Need a no-objection letter from the school |
| Government and private-sector employees | Need a no-objection letter from the employer. Holders of a part-time work permit are exempt from employer approval. |
| Unemployed individuals | No employer letter needed |
| University students | Proof of enrolment needed |
| School students aged 15 to 18 | Guardian consent needed. Non-national students need a valid residence visa. |
If you are a UAE resident with a job and want to earn extra income from tutoring, read our guide to the UAE part-time and multiple job work permit as well. It explains the employer approval rules that sit close to this permit.
Documents You Need
The exact list depends on your category and MOHRE can update it. The documents named on the MOHRE listing and in news reports include:
- Valid Emirates ID and residence visa (for non-nationals) and passport.
- Certificate of good conduct.
- Medical fitness certificate.
- Recent colour photograph with a white background.
- Latest educational certificate. Required for employed and unemployed applicants and teachers. Students provide proof of enrolment instead.
- Experience certificate, if you have one (employees in other sectors).
- No-objection letter from your employer (employees) or school (teachers). Part-time permit holders are exempt from employer approval.
- Guardian consent for students.
- Approved Private Tuition Agreement. MOHRE lists approval of this agreement among the requirements.
- Signed code of conduct. You download, sign and upload it during the application.
Our guide to UAE employment visa salary requirements is useful if your tutoring plans depend on a particular type of residence visa.
How to Apply: Step by Step
- Open the MOHRE website or app and choose Services.
- Search for Private Tutor Licensing and select Start Service.
- Enter your Emirates ID number and confirm with the one-time password sent to your registered mobile number.
- Select your category (student, unemployed, employee in another sector or school teacher).
- Upload the required documents.
- Download, sign and upload the code of conduct.
- Submit and track the request. MOHRE lists 2 working days for the service, though some reports mention up to five working days, so allow some extra time.
For help, MOHRE support is at support.mohre.gov.ae and on 600 590000. If you prefer, a typing centre or PRO service can submit the documents for you, but you must still sign the code of conduct yourself. Our guide to UAE work permit categories shows where this permit sits among the other MOHRE permits.
The Rule That Catches Teachers
Registered teachers must get a no-objection letter from their school, and they may not privately tutor students from the school where they work. Students from other schools are allowed. Reports also say Ministry of Education conduct guidelines treat unauthorised private tutoring by school employees as a serious violation. If you teach at a school, read your contract and the school’s own policy before you advertise lessons.
What the Permit Does and Does Not Cover
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I teach students at their home? | Yes, the permit covers in-person private lessons |
| Can I teach online? | Yes, the same permit covers it |
| Can I teach my own school’s students? | No, if you are a school teacher |
| Can I open a tutoring centre or hire other tutors? | No. That needs a business licence and sector approvals. |
| Does the permit give me a residence visa? | No. It is a work permit for people who already live in the UAE, and it is not a residence visa. |
| Can a visitor on a tourist visa apply? | The listed categories assume you live in the UAE. A visit visa holder who works can face penalties, see our guide on working on a UAE tourist visa. |
If you want full-time self-employment rather than occasional lessons, a freelance route may fit better. See our guides to the Dubai freelance visa and UAE freelance permit activity codes.
KHDA: Where It Applies
The permit comes from MOHRE and the Ministry of Education. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) regulates private education in Dubai, and its approval matters in a different situation: running a tutoring institute or training centre.
- Individual tutor: recent sources describe the MOHRE permit as the route for an individual, and one source says KHDA approval is not needed for private tutoring by an individual. Several of these sources are consultancies and tutoring companies rather than government sites, and no KHDA page stating this directly was found, so confirm with KHDA if your situation is unusual.
- Centre or institute in Dubai: reports say the business needs the relevant commercial approvals and a KHDA educational services permit before it can operate. A free zone that offers a tutoring activity, for example, says KHDA approval is required before its trade licence is issued.
- Older guidance: some older pages say home tutoring was unlawful unless the tutor worked through a licensed centre. That reflects the position before the 2023 permit, so treat older pages with care.
Outside Dubai, the education authority and licensing rules of each emirate apply, for example in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Check with the local authority.
Before You Apply: A Short Checklist
Work through this list the day before you open the MOHRE service. It prevents most rejected or delayed requests.
- Confirm your category. Pick the one that matches your real situation today: student, unemployed, employee in another sector or school teacher. A wrong category means the wrong document list.
- Check your Emirates ID. The application starts with your Emirates ID number and a one-time password sent to the mobile number registered against it. If that number is old, update it first. Our guide to updating Emirates ID information explains how.
- Book the certificates early. The good conduct certificate and the medical fitness certificate come from other offices and take time. Our guide to the UAE visa medical fitness test describes the medical step.
- Get the letter in writing. If you need a no-objection letter from an employer or school, ask for it on company or school letterhead, with your name, your Emirates ID number and a clear statement that you may offer private tuition.
- Scan clearly. Upload sharp, complete scans. A cut-off corner or a blurry stamp is a common reason for a request to be sent back.
- Read the code of conduct before signing. It sets the standards you accept as a permit holder, including how you deal with students and families.
- Write down the end date as soon as the permit is approved, and set a reminder two months earlier.
A Worked Example
Consider a resident who works full time as an accountant and wants to teach mathematics to secondary students on weekends. She is an employee in another sector, so she needs her employer’s no-objection letter, her latest educational certificate, a good conduct certificate, a medical fitness certificate, her Emirates ID and a white-background photograph. If she already holds a part-time work permit, she does not need the employer’s approval for this permit. She applies on the MOHRE app, signs the code of conduct, uploads the documents and waits for the result. Once approved, she can teach students at their homes or online for two years. She may not teach students from a school where she is also employed as a teacher, because that rule applies to school teachers.
Now consider a school teacher with the same plan. She needs a no-objection letter from her school and she must avoid her own school’s students. Students from other schools are allowed.
These examples show the logic of the permit. Your own case can differ, so check the current requirements for your category on the MOHRE service page.
Penalties for Tutoring Without a Permit
MOHRE and the UAE Government state that people who give private lessons without a permit face fines and penalties under the applicable laws. No official fixed fine schedule for this permit. Some commentary refers to fines of up to AED 50,000 under the labour framework for working or employing without approval, but this is commentary and not an official figure for tutoring. Do not rely on a number from an unofficial page. Beyond fines, the risks are practical: a parent or school may stop the lessons, an employer may act under your contract, and a violation can affect later permit and visa applications.
Tax and Income Notes for Tutors
Tutoring income is income from a service. If your annual taxable supplies pass the VAT registration threshold of AED 375,000, you must register for VAT, as with any business in the UAE. Tutors who work through a company also need to consider Corporate Tax. This is general information. For a specific income position, ask a tax adviser.
Common Mistakes
- Advertising lessons before the permit is approved.
- Teachers tutoring their own school’s students.
- Skipping the employer letter. Employees need it unless they hold a part-time work permit.
- Using an expired good conduct or medical certificate.
- Assuming the permit lets you open a centre.
- Forgetting renewal. The permit lasts two years. Note the end date and renew in time.
- Using agents who ask for large fees for a free permit. MOHRE lists the service as free of charge. Service providers may charge for their own help with typing and submission, so ask what each charge is for.
Tutors who build savings and later hold investments or property through a company should know how a holding structure is taxed. Our sister site Qaspro Global covers it in its guide to the UAE special purpose vehicle.
Related Reading
- Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in the UAE 2026 (Qaspro Global)
- UAE part-time and multiple job work permit
- UAE work permit categories from MOHRE
- Dubai freelance visa guide
- UAE freelance permit activity codes
- Working on a UAE tourist visa: fines and deportation risk
- UAE labour card download
If your tutoring business will earn through a company and you need to understand tax on that income, Qaspro Global covers it in its guide to free zone and mainland expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to tutor privately in the UAE?
Yes. MOHRE and the Ministry of Education issue a Private Teacher Work Permit for lessons given outside educational institutions. Tutoring without one can lead to fines and penalties.
How much does the MOHRE private tutor permit cost?
MOHRE lists the service as free of charge. The permit is valid for two years.
How long does approval take?
MOHRE lists 2 working days. Some reports say up to five working days, so allow some extra time.
Do I need a separate permit for online tutoring?
No. One permit covers both online and in-person private lessons.
Who can apply?
Registered school teachers, government and private-sector employees, unemployed individuals, university students and school students aged 15 to 18. Non-national students need a valid residence visa.
Do I need my employer’s approval?
Employees in other sectors need a no-objection letter from their employer. Holders of a part-time work permit are exempt from employer approval.
Can a school teacher tutor their own students?
No. Teachers may not tutor students from their own school. They need a no-objection letter from their school, and students from other schools are allowed.
Do I also need a KHDA licence?
For an individual tutor, recent sources describe the MOHRE permit as the route, but no KHDA page confirming this directly was found, so confirm with KHDA. A tutoring centre or institute in Dubai needs commercial approvals and a KHDA educational services permit.
Can I tutor on a tourist visa?
The permit categories assume UAE residents. Working on a visit visa can carry penalties. See our guide on working on a tourist visa.
What happens if my permit expires?
Renew it before the two-year validity ends. Teaching after expiry is the same as teaching without a permit.
Where can I get help with the application?
Use the MOHRE website or app, support.mohre.gov.ae or 600 590000. For help with typing, document preparation or other visa and permit paperwork, you can contact Yalah Dubai on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/971525802100.
This article is general information based on MOHRE, the UAE Government portal and published news reports as read in October 2026. Where an official page did not confirm a detail, the text says so. Check the current MOHRE and KHDA pages before you apply.